Note 1 at Mt 13:52: Jesus had been announcing the arrival (Mr 1:15) of the new kingdom of God (Lu 17:20), and all of these parables that He taught this day were revealing how it would work. People would enter this kingdom through the new birth (Joh 3:3) that came as a result of faith in God's Word being sown in their hearts (Ro 10:17, 1Pe 1:23, also illustrated in the parable of the sower - Mr 4:14). The terms of this New Covenant were dramatically different from those of the Old Testament Law (Ga 3:7-14); hence Jesus' question to His disciples in Mt 13:51, "Have ye understood all these things?"

Then Jesus used the word "scribe" in referring to His disciples (this verse). Although they had no formal training, they were being instructed in the truths of this new kingdom by the greatest Teacher of all. Therefore, they were scribes in the truest sense of the word. Scribes had a duty to share their knowledge with others for the purpose of instruction. Therefore, Jesus taught, through this comparison with the householder, their responsibility to impart these truths to others. The wisdom and understanding that they had received from Jesus about the kingdom of God was truly a treasure. They had a responsibility to bring it forth with both the new wisdom that had just been imparted to them and the old truths revealed to them in the writing of the prophets ("things new and old").